Alberta won the 2025 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy after the Alberta Information and Privacy Commission found the provincial government had repeatedly violated its own freedom of information laws. cfe.torontomu.ca/index%2ephp/...

A blanket smother-up: Alberta government wins secrecy award for opaque access-to-information process | Centre for Free Expression

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government has been selected as the provincial winner of the 2025 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy after Alberta’s information a...

cfe.torontomu.ca

Age verification may be desirable in theory but it has more dangers than benefits in practice. www.politico.eu/article/eu-b...

Brussels launched an age checking app. Hackers say it takes 2 minutes to break it.

Cyber experts say they have found holes in Brussels’ age verification app, despite claims by the EU executive that it is “technically ready.”

politico.eu

The V-Dem Institute report on global democracy shows Canada's democratic decline, accelerated by the firehose of government bills undermining basic civil liberties, human rights and democratic practices-- C-5, C-4, C-15, C-12, C-14, C-9, and C-22. cfe.torontomu.ca/blog/2026/06...

While We Watch the U.S., Canada’s Democracy Is Quietly Eroding | Centre for Free Expression

With the precipitous decline of democracy in the United States, it is all too easy to ignore that Canada’s democracy is in decline as well. We ignore the signs at our peril.

cfe.torontomu.ca

In a move that will help disinformation proliferate, the Trump administration has penalized leading European tech regulators. Ironically no western government is engaged in as much censorship as the US under Trump. U.S. Bars 5 European Tech Regulators and Researchers www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/t...

U.S. Bars 5 European Tech Regulators and Researchers

nytimes.com

C-9 is a terrible bill that infringes on fundamental Charter rights. It should be withdrawn not made even more unconstitutional. If it is not withdrawn, I guess we will have to sort it out in court.

International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG)@iclmg-csilc.bsky.social · 8mo ago

UPDATE: Instead of addressing the ample criticism against C-9, some MPs want to add a new offence as an amendment during the clause-by-clause analysis, which would further infringe on our rights & freedoms! Read more & take action again if you have already: iclmg.ca/withdraw-bil... Thanks! #StopC9

🚨 URGENT: Bill C-12 could be voted on THIS WEEK (as early as Dec 4) Your call can stop this anti-immigrant bill. MPs are counting constituent calls RIGHT NOW before the vote. Takes 2 minutes. Make it count. migrantrights.ca/actionslist/... #cdnpoli #cdnimm #cdnref #refugeeswelcome #stopc12

STOP Bill C-12: Call Your MP Now! - Migrant Rights Network

Bill C-12 returns for third reading THIS WEEK—December 3rd—and could be voted on any day.  This dangerous legislation threatens the rights of refugees, migrants, and everyone in Canada. Once passed, t...

migrantrights.ca

Will Canada abandon environmental assessment in the Ring of Fire?: Unfortunately, there has been no answer to this vital question. Odds not good that Carney will preserve environmental protections. ricochet.media/indigenous/w...

Will Canada abandon environmental assessment in the Ring of Fire?

Doug Ford wants Ottawa to ignore First Nations’ warnings that drinking water, treaty rights, and the land itself are on the line

ricochet.media

‘Elbows Up’ — Yesterday’s Slogan -- Judy Haiven is right that our apologetic (to Trump) Prime Minister uses the rhetoric of Canada charting its own course while pursuing policies that bring us evermore into the U.S. orbit. That leads no where good. open.substack.com/pub/judyhaiv...

‘Elbows Up’ — Yesterday’s Slogan

Home About

open.substack.com

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Jewish figures across the globe call on UN and world leaders to sanction Israel

Exclusive: In an open letter, Israeli ex-officials, artists and intellectuals say ‘unconscionable’ actions in Gaza amount to genocide

theguardian.com

Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content nearly half the time according to a European and British study of 3,000 responses to questions about the news from leading artificial intelligence assistants. www.cbc.ca/news/world/a...

Top AI assistants misrepresent news content, study finds | CBC News

Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half their responses, according to new research published on Wednesday by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC. The study also fo...

cbc.ca

The opponent of foreign interference in U.S. elections is doing his best to interfere in Argentina’s www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump threatens to cut US aid to Argentina if Milei loses election

US president says ‘we will not be generous’ if leader fails to win key midterms after promising $20bn to prop up struggling economy

theguardian.com

The Trump Administration’s attack on freedom of expression is being particularly felt by editorial cartoonists. Some sad stories and great cartoons can be found in this article fair.org/home/us-cart...

US Cartooning Tradition in Peril in Trump’s First Year

In the era of Trump, publishers are, for a variety of reasons, encouraging cartoonists to approach the president on bended knee.

fair.org

Alberta Education Minister's ban of all books with any sexually explicit content from all school libraries will only hurt kids. We all learn about sex. Too bad there won't be access to the best books available -- which are sexually explicit in age appropriate ways. cfe.torontomu.ca/blog/2025/07...

Alberta Returns to 17th Century Puritanism for Its School Libraries | Centre for Free Expression

17th Century puritanism has come back to life in the Alberta Government. Last week, its Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides signed a Ministerial Order that is jaw-dropping. Concerned that some...

cfe.torontomu.ca

Former Canadian MP Charlie Angus reflects on where MAGA's celebration of a camp built for the express purpose of dehumanizing and brutalizing migrants could lead. Unfortunately, his fears should be all our fears. American Dachau open.substack.com/pub/charliea...

American Dachau

Trump Takes the Next Step

open.substack.com

Congress just passed the biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in American history. All those well-intentioned poor and modest-income Americans who voted for Trump will pay a huge price. So will the United States. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

See How Trump’s Big Bill Could Affect Your Taxes, Health Care and Other Finances

The wide-ranging domestic policy legislation could impact your taxes, clean energy choices, health care access and more.

nytimes.com

Canadian legal & human rights scholars call on York Region to reinstate paramedic fired for Facebook comment critical of Israel; not altogether different from former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmer's Haaretz op-ed “Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes.” tinyurl.com/3yz3vjud

Instead of the “elbows up” Priime Minister Mark Carney promised to be, he has shown only cowardice and capitulation to Trump’s threats. Last night’s cancellation of Canada’s Digital Services Tax, as Trump demanded, is a disgrace to Canada and Canadians. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Canada rescinds digital services tax in a bid to advance trade talks with US

Canada has rescinded its digital services tax in a bid to advance trade negotiations with the U.S., Canada's finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

reuters.com

Great source of recommended readings

Decisions about what books should be in school libraries should be made by professional educators and librarians, not by politicians using children in their culture wars as is happening in Alberta. cfe.torontomu.ca/blog/2025/06...

Librarians and Educators Should Decide Books for School Libraries, Not Politicians | Centre for Free Expression

On Monday, May 26th, 2025, Alberta Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides announced that the government was bringing in new rules to ensure only "age-appropriate" books are available in school lib...

cfe.torontomu.ca

Studies consistently show a LARGE portion of vaccine related adverse events are caused by the nocebo effects. Eg: Republicans & the hesitant experience more adverse events. My take: Vaccine safety, politics and the nocebo effect healthydebate.ca/2025/04/topi... via @healthydebate.bsky.social

Vaccine safety, politics and the nocebo effect - Healthy Debate

We must vigorously counter the misinformation and political spin that helps to fuel the accelerating vaccine concern vortex.

healthydebate.ca

Premier Danielle Smith has found a way to bring Alberta's Treaty First Nations & the Calgary Chamber of Commerce together in common cause-denunciation of her coy flirtation/encouragement of Alberta separatism. tinyurl.com/5n7xur4d First Nations unity displayed at rally against Alberta separatism

First Nations unity displayed at rally against Alberta separatism

“Our Treaties are not relics. They are not documents to be shelved and forgotten.”

readtheorchard.org

A fine statement of leading U.S. civil liberties' organizations. The surest protection against authoritarianism is active resistance by civil society - despair, apathy, cynicism, hopelessness are the authoritarian forces' best friends.

Knight First Amendment Institute@knightcolumbia.org · last yr.

Read the full letter: knightcolumbia.org/documents/dm...

Breaking news: The U.S. economy shrank in the first three months of 2025, contracting by an annualized rate of 0.3 percent, a stark reversal after nearly three years of solid growth, as tariff-related uncertainty upended spending patterns and raised fears of an impending recession.

U.S. economy shrank in early 2025, as tariffs sapped growth

GDP shrank in the first quarter, a new report shows, offering a look at how tariffs are reshaping spending patterns and changing the economy.

washingtonpost.com

Government of Ontario wins national award for outstanding achievement in government secrecy - for using private cell phones and personal emails for government business - undercutting public access to information under Ontario law.https://tinyurl.com/4ye4xwhd

There is hope in this dark time when the higher education sector is standing up to the bullying tactics of the Trump Administration - quite unlike their cowardice during the period of McCarthyism in the 1940s and 50s.

Reuters@reuters.com · last yr.

Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions reut.rs/42Vhp3x

There is hope in this dark time when the higher education sector is standing up to the bullying tactics of the Trump Administration - quite unlike their cowardice during the period of McCarthyism in the 1940s and 50s.

Reuters@reuters.com · last yr.

Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions reut.rs/42Vhp3x

The cruelty, short sightedness, and incompetence of the Trump administration is staggering.

ProPublica@propublica.org · last yr.

NEW: NOAA scientists are cleaning office bathrooms and reconsidering critical experiments after the Commerce Department failed to renew contracts for hazardous waste disposal, janitorial services, IT and building maintenance. By @lisalsong.bsky.social

NEW: Climate experts expressed shock at the Trump administration's plan to stop collecting American polluters’ greenhouse gas emissions. “Not tracking the data doesn’t make the climate crisis any less real,” one said. “This is just putting our heads in the sand.” By @fastlerner.bsky.social

Trump’s EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data From Most Polluters

Climate experts expressed shock and dismay at the move. “It would be a bit like unplugging the equipment that monitors the vital signs of a patient that is critically ill,” one said.

propub.li

Now the Trump Administration is trying to bully Princeton - withholding $210-million in research grants. Princeton's president Christopher Eisgruber's response is not the same as Columbia, thank goodness! edition.cnn.com/2025/04/01/u...

Trump administration suspends dozens of research grants to Princeton | CNN

The Trump administration has suspended research grants totaling $210 million to Princeton University as part of an ongoing investigation into antisemitism on campus, according to the White House and t...

edition.cnn.com

Federal government bullying of universities extended to Cornell (withholding $1-billion in federal funds) and Northwestern (withholding $790-million) to make them serve Trump's ideology. Giving in to bullies only empowers them. www.linkedin.com/news/story/f...

Funds cut for Cornell, Northwestern | LinkedIn

One billion dollars in federal funds and grants to Cornell University and $790 million to Northwestern University have been frozen, the White House confirmed to CNN.

linkedin.com